They forecasted rain and heavy storms, they tried in every way to make us give up, but the seventh edition of the Col de Turini Tour regularly started at the first light of day. A shy sun immediately made its way through the clouds and magnified a day where the most famous rally road of them all seemed our private playground, full of hairpin bends, lots of petrol and pasta with lobster.

COL DE TURINI TOUR

 

 

 

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Giorgia Rossi

Challenging the most pessimistic forecasts thrown into the net for an entire week, the more than thirty crews regularly gathered at the Tête de Chien for the seventh edition of the “Col de Turini Tour”. The meeting took place once again on the heights of Monaco, so as to take advantage of a panoramic spot which allowed all the cars to be easily accommodated, away from the suffocating traffic jams that increasingly afflict the claustrophobic streets of the Principality. After days of intense rain and with all the predictions suggesting to turn off the alarm, the sun peeps over our heads and begins to lighten the early hours of the morning, when the teams reach the pre-established location and begin accreditation and breakfast.

 

 

 

As always, there is a strong lineup of Porsche, but this year we have the opportunity to welcome several other brands like Lotus, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Maserati, Abarth and many sports cars that share the true essence of fun. Briefing time, illustrating a further optimized route, able to offer the possibility of shortening the tour for those who prefer a more relaxed pace. In the meantime, those few clouds are moving rapidly, letting the temperature to rise enough and leave jackets and fears behind. At 9.05 am – on time as never before – the crews start leaving by carefully following the road books that will take them out of the small village of La Turbie and then towards Menton, the border that divides the wait from the maximum expression of driving pleasure.

 

 

 

The only surprise is not that of a clear sky and a perfect temperature, but the absence of traffic. Along the Route du Sospel, a road that can usually present some slow vehicles, you can taste a sense of solitude that a few minutes later impregnates today’s adventure with a frenzied hunt for hairpin bends. There is not a soul around and the road, with the exception of some gravel collapsed due to the previous day’s rainfall, allows everyone to keep the most suitable pace. Leading the group we find a furious trio of Lotus, as colorful as noisy: the ultimate object to give the idea of ​​what it means to enhance the intimate relationship that is established between the driver and the car. On a road like this then, everything takes on a more particular meaning than usual. Then we have a couple of crazy Toyota GR Yaris and a Porsche 911 GT3 Clubsport, impossible not to hear them arrive miles early. In that moment you believe that shortly thereafter you will be able to see their silhouettes delineating behind the rock walls, but actually the echo of the engines pulled to the limiter expands with the same violence with which the throttle, brake and gearbox are gently mistreated.

 

 

 

The hairpin bends of the Col de Turini now take on the forms that many have seen as protagonists such as those rally legends who cannot simply be defined drivers, but pioneers of speed and thrill. They throw one gear after another on the edge of the overhang, thus marking the same asphalt when coming out of the corners, as if to underline the signs left by the WRC champions, enhancing this ritual that enters with arrogance into the heart of each of the participants at today’s tour. Even for those who have already taken part in the event, or have had the opportunity to drive on these curves on some other occasion, the magic remains intact and is amplified by the sense of belonging to this group of hundred octane worshipers. There is no shortage of pocket rockets like MINI Cooper S, Renault 5 GT Turbo, VW Polo GTI and an iconic Subaru WRX STI Legendary Edition, not to mention a load of Porsche 911 (964, 996, 997, 991 and 992), Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale, Porsche Panamera, AMG A45, ready to write new memories in the personal diary of a journey of automotive passion.

 

 

 

Compulsory stop at the top of the Col de Turini, invading the parking of the Hotel Les Trois Vallées and seizing the opportunity for a mid-morning coffee. At this point, each crew was able to choose whether to drive the stage towards La-Bollene-Vesubie and take advantage of the opportunity for a refueling checkpoint, or linger in front of the commemorative boards and the infinite collection of plates and photographs inside the hotel/restaurant, thus waiting for the rest of the group to come back and start again for Peira-Cava. The assault on the curves comes back to life after a few minutes and with a practically deserted road we descend towards Lucerame, on some of the most challenging and at the same time spectacular traits of the entire event. Time for the the Pas de l’Escous before gathering at the gates of L’Escarene, taking advantage of the large square of the recently built station.

 

 

 

A couple of minutes of break, essential to cool the brakes down and prepare for the climb on the dizzying pile of hairpin bends of the Col de Braus. What is always able to leave you speechless in a tight mixed bit between amazement and unlimited fun is the stack of hairpin bends neatly stacked one on top of the other – as many as 8 in just 750 meters – where a perfect visibility and an asphalt in impeccable conditions are the definitive scenario for an adrenaline rush that redefines the concept of driving emotions. Up and down again in direction Sospel, but ready to point upwards for a final run, albeit in a less marked way. We reach the Col de Brouis and take advantage of a last stop in the area in front of the hotel where we had lunch at last year’s edition.

 

 

 

The comments of the participants are the mirror of a day that, although not over yet, has given way to vent properly the desire to exalt the drive in one of Europe’s best playground. Doing it between the iconic curves of the most famous road of rallies is an emotion that cannot be described with words for the simple fact that its meaning differs from person to person and that from one year to the next one it is surprisingly able to make you discover glimpses that had not been caught before, treading the same asphalt of the great champions and feeling it yours, thus becoming part of something incredibly significant and understood only by those who have petrol instead of blood in their veins.

 

 

 

The curves are not over yet, because the final stretch to Ventimiglia still offers the possibility of sealing a pact with the mountain that will echo in the heart for a long time, even when it is all over. After less than thirty minutes in which we were still surrounded by the mountains, here we are on the seashore arranging the cars in the new port of Ventimiglia, exactly in front of the “Pasta & Basta” restaurant. The owner Andrea welcomes us with a huge smile on his face and his staff makes the more than fifty people to sit down, satiated with curves and hungry for food. Lunch is excellent and the conviviality of the moment allows you to deepen your knowledge with those who shared a different Sunday than usual. The one who until a few hours before was a complete stranger to tailgate up to the summit, is now a chat buddy and who knows if you’ll maybe meet them again at one of our next appointments.

 

 

 

It is obviously still early to talk about the 2023 calendar, but know that we are already working to enrich the next season with even more engaging tours. There will be many new features, but rest assured that the thing that does not change will be that everything will continue to be sewn around the main ingredient: the drive.

 

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